Rain lashes parts of Karachi, electricity supply suspended

A new spell of rain began Friday evening in Karachi after heavy rain with strong winds lashed multiple areas of the city in the morning.

Showers were recorded in Shah Faisal Town, Malir, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, North Karachi, Shah Town, Shah Latif Town, Superhighway, Gadap, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Malir, Airport, Satellite Town, Landhi, Saadi Town, Model Colony and surrounding areas.

After the first spell of rain in the morning at around 11am a new spell began in the evening.

The weather has become pleasant and people have taken to the streets to enjoy the rain.

Before Friday's second spell, the Met Office reported the highest rainfall of 41mm was recorded in Saadi Town. Near the University Road, 33mm rain was reported. Jinnah Terminal received 17.8mm rain, while PAF Base and Orangi town saw 16.8mm and 8mm rain respectively.

Power outages

Immediately after the rain started, power outages were reported in multiple areas of the city such as Ranchore Line, Keamari, Khadda Market, Sultanabad, North Karachi, Sujrani Town, Defence Phase-II, Akhter Colony, and Lyari. The electricity supply to more than 270 feeders has been suspended.

KE Power Update 2: 3rd September 1300 hours

Power supply to major parts of the city continues during the current rains.
Power supply is ongoing through 1594 of 1900 feeders
KE teams are actively monitoring the situation.

— KE (@KElectricPk) September 3, 2021

According to K-Electric, special teams have been dispatched to multiple areas where faults have been reported.

Supply to areas with a high incidence of theft and kunda usage may be shut down for emergency reasons, the company tweeted, advising people to continue taking safety precautions maintaining a safe distance from electricity infrastructure

Traffic jams, inundated roads

The showers left multiple roads in the city inundated resulting in massive traffic jams. Children were stuck in their school vans for hours. The second spell in the evening forced many people to stop by the roadside.

In Defence, Lyari and Nipa, the roads have been flooded with rainwater and sewage. People have complained that they have no option but to walk in this black water. They have asked authorities to take action.

In an interview with SAMAA TV, Alamgir Khan, founder of Fixit, said that every year, rains wreak havoc in the city. "Where are Murtuza Wahab and Murad Ali Shah now? Won't they hold a press conference on this issue?"

Karachi Administrator Murtuza Wahab, on the other hand, said that he has instructed DMCs and KMC to provide relief to people and start working on clearing the routes.

"By and large traffic is smooth," he added.

Read: Karachi’s Defence, Clifton won’t flood this monsoon, says CBC

Last year, experts raised concerns over the stormwater drains in DHA. They questioned why these drains were constructed in the middle of the roads.

They said that the rainwater or stormwater drains are usually built on the side of the road so that water readily flows into them because of gravity.

Emergency imposed

The PMD had predicted that Karachi would receive rain today and tomorrow (September 4). A low-pressure system in the Arabian Sea could cause thunderstorms and heavy rains in the city till September 4, the Met Office said.

A rain emergency has been imposed across Sindh, specially in Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Larkana, Jamshoro, and Sanghar, on the directions of Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Ali Shah.

The PDMA has advised the city authorities to stay alert. “Billboards and hoardings should be secured or removed in light of thunderstorms and high winds,” it added.